Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel has turned his side into a slick winning machine with the latest victory coming against Hertha Berlin here on Sunday. The 3-1 win took it back to the top of the table, ahead of Bayern Munich, on goal difference.
The hosts endured a tough initial phase with the visitors defending in two banks of four. It took 17 minutes for The Black and Yellows to fire a shot on goal; Marcel Schmelzel’s strike was blocked by Thomas Kraft.
The frequent forays into Hertha Berlin’s final third had the defenders on their toes. The first goal took longer, by Dortmund’s standards, when captain Matt Hummels put it ahead with a fine header in the 27th minute. It was a well-worked out corner by Marco Reus and Shinji Kagawa on the right.
The Dortmund fans craved for further confirmation on the scoresheet in the first half, but it didn’t arrive.
The second goal came when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converted a cross from Matthias Ginter in the 51st minute. The second-half also witnessed clumsy finishes from Kagawa, Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
The introduction of former Chelsea player Salomon Kalou in the 78th minute brought the visitors back into the game.
A perfect build-up play from Hertha Berlin ended up presenting Vladimir Darida with the ball inside the area. He stepped inside his marker and forced a save from Burki, but Kalou was right up there to pick up the rebound and slot it home.
Dortmund endured a difficult final minutes before Vasquez Ramos slotted home to trigger an explosion of joy.
The results: Borussia Dortmund 3 (Hummels 27, Aubameyang 51, Ramos 90+3) bt Hertha Berlin 1 (Kalou 78); Werder Bremen 2 (Johannsson 39-pen, Vestergaard 53) bt Borussia Monchengladbach 1 (Stindl 45).
S. Sudarsan is in Dortmund at the invitation of STAR Sports
